The Terminal 2: Brood War
by MasterChief60
Summary: The Overloard is dead, but his Revenge is yet to come. The Zerg have spread... can they be defeated? Story in progress. Rated for slight blood and violence. And creepy creatures. Starcraft crossover.
1. Meet the Zerg

THE TERMINAL 2: BROOD WAR -  
Well, its finally here. I adopted most of the characters from a video game:  
Star Craft- Brood War. But our favorate Winx characters still are sticking around.  
Figure out who the Broods are, and what they are doing in Magix.  
If you've played Star Craft, you'd already know just what the Broods are.  
----------------------------

The morning sun rose slowly into the air. Sunlight bleeded through Tecna's closed windows, and a few birds outside began chirping. This sort of routine took Tecna a while to get used to- being from a non-natural planet. But she had been in Alfea for seven months now, and she loved every second of it.

Well, almost every second.

Five weeks ago, something had happened to her and her friends- something that she would regret. And just one week ago, it was over, and it almost cost her none other then her life.  
She and her friends had confronted an Overloard- a seemingly unstoppable creature- but those days were over, and Tecna looked back on them with dread.

Slowly she got out of bed and looked at the clock. Nine in the morning, at Saturday.  
She looked down at a few casts that she was wearing on her arm and chest- after being tormented in her nightmares weeks ago, she had broken a few bones and no spell could heal them. Also, she still felt weak from what had also happened, but she was glad her boyfriend, Timmy, had saved her.

She ran her fingers through her vibrant, maroon-pink hair, trying to wake herself up, then walked over to her closet and slipped on her normal clothes, a purple-and-green combination of techno patterns, and sighed deeply. She glnced over at her roommate, the dark-haired fairy of Music Musa, who usually slept in on Saturdays. Everyone lately has been worried about her, and Tecna hated to be the center of attention. She felt safer just being around to help, not being the one who needed to be helped.

Suddenly her door opened, and one of her friends, a red-haired girl named Bloom, stepped inside. "Hey, Tec, how are you doing?" She asked quietly, not intending to wake Musa. "I'm fine," Tecna said.  
"Are you better then you were yesterday?" Bloom asked. "A little, but my chest still hurts here and there"  
Tecna replied. "Oh, do you need a pain relieving spell?"

"No, I'm fine."

Bloom nodded. "Well, I need to use your computer, can you turn it on?" Tecna tilted her head.  
"Why? You usually never use it." Bloom shrugged. "I just wanted to search for something in particular..."

"You could just ask me, I've got a search engine,"

"I really don't know if your search engine can find it, Tecna..." Bloom replied worriedly. Tecna paused.  
"Why, what's the matter?" Bloom glanced over her shoulder, then replied, "Something doesn't feel right, Tecna... ever since I rescued you from the Overloard's chamber, something just felt wrong... out of place.  
ever since I saw that strange, crystal air rise from his chasm. I thought maybe if I search for Overloard customs and what happens when they die, I can find out the answers..."

Tecna nodded. "Alright..." She was feeling scared now. Her father never saw the crystal air,  
but maybe it was there because the Overloard Rarion had already died before, and then died again...

TO BE CONTINUED

A creature opened its eyes. The area was foul and stiff, and an ever too powerful smell came across the landscape.  
Something called it here. Something was calling for him. It lifted its nose and sniffed, blinking its large, red eyes.  
He made a peculiar growl sound, then tentecles shot ot of his body, striking the ground. The ugly mutated creature looked like a huge, devilish drone-beetle. It had a wide set of red eyes, and it hovered a foot off the ground. Now it lowered to the ground,  
and it began morphing, looking similar to a large tumor forming on the ground- the creature began mutating further and further...

Tecna gasped, her eyes were filled with the image. Sweat poared down her neck, then she looked at Bloom. "Tecna, what's wrong"  
Tecna shuddered then replied, "I don't know... There was this... and..." She swallowed. "The crystal air, Bloom, there's got to be more to it!  
I saw a vision... I think some way, I'm still connected with the dream... it was hideous, Bloom... make it go away!" She shuddered again, then fell back on her bed.  
"Tecna!" Bloom yelled. Musa shot up from her bed, alarmed. "What's going on!" She said, running over to Bloom without a hint of grogginess.  
"Its Tecna, she just fell over! Tecna, what is it? What did you see!" Bloom said. Tecna stopped shivering, and calmed. "Nothing... I'm fine now.  
I just got a bit carried away, I guess..." Tecna said. Bloom helped Tecna to her feet. "What was it, Tec?" Musa asked.

"I saw a vision of something... gruesome... it was just a few leagues outside of Alfea and Red Fountain, most near Cloud Tower... But I think it was just a few remains of a dream, I'm sure it'll go away in a few days." Tecna replied, still shaken up. "Don't worry, Tec, I'm sure we'll find more about the crystal air later, right now, I have to meet Flora in the fields, I promised her I'd go butterfly hunting. Do you want to come, Tecna?" Bloom said. "Sure," Tecna replied, knowing she had nothing better to do.

TO BE CONTINUED

THe group headed outside, uniting with Flora, who had already caught a large amount of butterflies and had placed them in a large jar filled with flowers. "This will be so much fun!" Flora said with a smile, then faced Tecna, "Hey, how are you today?" She asked, slightly suprised Tecna would be out in her condition. "I'm well," Tecna said, shifting her feet. "But that question is getting a bit old," she added and laughed.  
"I understand," Flora said with a smirk. "Anyway, I called you all out here because-" She was cut off by Tecna who suddenly raised her hand into the air, guesturing for silence. "What is it?" Bloom asked.  
Tecna looked into the woods that surrounded Alfea, then said, "Do you hear that?" Musa paused, then said, "Yeah, I hear it... what is it?" Bravely, Bloom walked into the woods, followed by the others. "Lets find out," She said. "Stella, are you coming?" Stella was quiet the whole time, but finally said, "alright..." She hated insects and the woods for that matter.

The group followed Bloom into a vast field, with a hilly landscape- a clearing near Alfea. "Its just beyond that hill," Musa said, "I hear it." She had the best hearing out of the group, and could sence things for long distances.

As the Winx Club walked up over the hill, Bloom gasped in fear and stopped in her tracks when she reached the top. "What is it?" Asked Tecna, puzzled, then she too, was dumbstruck with fear. "That... that thing... its from my vision"  
Her teeth chattered- the thing she saw was now like a structure. The drone had mutated into a Hive- a spawning chasm for the Zerg- but Tecna did not know that. "Look at those ugly things down there... are they larvae?" Stella groaned, disgusted.  
"Eww, those things are-" She suddenly screamed as one of the Larvae down below turned into an egg. "Its mutating..." Tecna said simply, then stepped backwards. "We should warn Faragonda about this... something is... horribly wrong here..." She lost her footing suddenly, then fell, sliding on her stomach halfway down the other side of the hill. "Oh no, Tecna!" Bloom said, grabbing her friend's arm, just as a sound of an egg bursting open resounded further away.

"Oh no..." Bloom said, lifting her gaze. The egg had already hatched into a hideous looking creature- it looked like a wingless dragon with scythes for hands and fast moving joints. It gurgled, then charged for them. Without a warning,  
the group went into Winx. "Look out!" Stella called, blasting the creature with her Scepter. It rolled over, then jumped back to its feet after a slight moment of stun.  
"I'll hit it with a venus flywrap!" Flora yelled, then ensnared the creature with the vines. It growled as the vines crushed its bones, then it lay on the ground, defeated.

Tecna regained her feet, then looked over at the Hive again. "No..." She said, scrambling back up the hill. More eggs hatched- this time they formed into a different creature.  
"Oh no... oh no..." Tecna said again. The creature was huge, and had six legs, but the two in the back were for walking as the pair in the front were like scythes. But this creature did not need them- he could spit acid for twenty yards. It grumbled as it rocketed towards the group, then sent a bullet of pure acid strait at the front target, thy unlucky Tecna.

Tecna yelped with pain as the acid struk her chest, flinging her backwards. The acid ate away the small section of clothes, and her skin, and was beginning to eat away at her muscles and bones when she quickly cast a spell on herself, calming the acid. She groaned with pain. "No!" Everyone said, then conbined their powers, blasting the two creatures. "These things are hideous! We have to get to Alfea!" Bloom yelled when the targets were destroyed. More eggs were forming! Quickly, Flora and Stella grabbed Tecna and flew as fast as they could out of the forest.

Tecna's chest was burning with pain, and suddenly she felt lightheaded and sick, as if the acid was also poisonous. She groaned loudly, and Stella placed her on the ground. "Something wrong?" She asked. "We're almost in Alfea, we'll tend your injury, it doesn't look too bad..." Flora told Tecna.  
Tecna's teeth chattered as she looked up at them. "Its not my injury that's bothering me..." She turned over on her side. "Suddenly I don't feel so great"  
Flora frowned. "Why? What do you mean?" Tecna didn't have a chance to respond, quickly she turned around, throwing up over a tree linb. "Yikes, didn't see THAT coming!" Musa said quickly. "Quick, scan her..." Musa added. Flora quickly ran over to Tecna,  
rubbing her back. "Poor thing... I'm so sorry this happened, Tec..."

Bloom frowned and cast a spell. "Its only minor, just a small disease, not near fatal, but she still needs medical attention. Quick, when Tecna's ready, we're going strait to Alfea, dropping her off at the nursem and asking Miss Faragonda what the deal was with those monsters..."

TO BE CONTINUED

The group quickly entered the nurse's office. The nurse stood up from her desk, then frowned.  
"Tsk, tsk... this one again?" She commented. "Yeah, she's fine, just getting into things she shouldn't be"  
Bloom answered, eyeing Tecna. Tecna managed a weak smile. "Sorry,"

"Well, tell me what happened, then." The nurse said. "Well, we were out exploring, and this wierd monster thing spit acid at Tecna, it ate through her skin like a cat scratch, and it made her sick." Bloom explained.  
"Oh dear," the nurse said. "Well, she looks almost fine to me, how do you feel, Tecna?" Tecna frowned. "Horrible"  
she said, "but not near as bad as I did when the Overloard almost killed me..."

The nurse took Tecna from Stella's supporting grasp and carried her over to one of the beds, situating a tin basin beside it.  
"You girls go on to your classes, I'll scan her for viruses and vaccinate her as directed"  
The nurse told the four other girls. "Whatever that means," commented Musa to herself.  
"Lets get out of here before Tecna pukes again, that was gross," Stella said.

Bloom nodded. "Yeah, let's go." She was reluctant to leave, however, because she was afraid of asking about the creatures.  
The group silently stopped at Faragonda's office door. "I'll go first," suggested Flora. She knocked loudly. "Come in," Faragonda's soft voice said from behind the door.  
Flora entered the room, followed by the other three. "Miss Faragonda," She said, "something else is happening... again..." A look of fear came over the old fairy godmother's face as she looked at the group, which was missing one.

"Well, what happened? Is Tecna still alright?" Miss Faragonda asked, allowing the girls to take seats around her desk. "Tecna's fine, just got hit by something- a weird looking creature we found mutating near the Dark Forest," Bloom said. "It was really hideous, and I don't know how it got here,  
I've never seen it before..."

Miss Faragonda paused. "Can you tell me a discription of this thing?" She said, rummaging through the desk, and pulling out a familiar round object. "That's Tecna's DigiSketch machine, why do you have it!" Stella blurted. "I forgot to return it to her after she dropped it in all the commotion a few weeks ago in the hall, when we were carrying her to the nurse's. I've seen her use it before, so I think I could find the creature with it." Miss Faragonda explained, pressing a button. A small digital ladybug flew out of the machine, fluttering around Bloom. "Well, it looked kind of grusome, with praying mantis scythes and it could spit acid..." Bloom said, and immediatly, the ladybug flew back to Tecna's lost machine, and projected a hologram of the creature.

Faragonda gasped. "Its a Hydralisk..." She said slowly, fear in her eyes. "What's wrong"  
Flora asked, becoming afraid. "This is a breed of a race known as Zerg, from a planet far from here- Char." Miss Faragonda explanied. "When you killed Rarion... what happened"  
She asked.

"Well," Bloom began, "I didn't know what it was, but it was some kind of clerish misty air that rose from the cavern..." Musa nodded in affermation. "Its a Psywave." Miss Faragonda said.  
"The Psywaves usually are very small, and send psyonic waves through the air, attracting nearby monsters. Since Rarion was so old and dangerous, his Psywave was so large, it reached across worlds...

"When Rarion was defeated, the Psywave attracted the Zerg- bringing them to this realm, near Alfea.  
Since the air was in the dream, and the dream was projected by you all, they came to Alfea seeking the Psywaves. When they failed to get it, they decided to breed near Alfea... they might attack us. Yes, Psywaves aren't able to be grasped by one's hand, but these mindless creatures want to taste it..."

Everyone watched fearfully, but let Miss Faragonda continue.

"The Zerg consist of nine different kinds of Broods, and a Larvae.

The Drone is the most important part of the Zerg. It can spit acid, but its acid is less dangerous, but the Drones are the workers- they gather minerals, and mutate into structures. They can mutate into a "spawning pool," which enables the Larvae to transform into Zerglings, the main footsoldier that attacks with its scythes. Now the Extractor is built on places where there is Vespene Gas, but none of that is here...

"After a spawining pool is mutated, the main Hatchery- the structure that all Larvae are produced, can transform into a Lair, allowing the Drones to mutate into more structures:  
Creep Colony, Hydralisk Den, Spire, and Queen's Next.

"The Creep. When you girls saw the Hatchery, did you notice the ground under your feet?"

Bloom nodded. "Yeah, it was like the ground was alive or something, and it looked like a bunch of purple veins."

"That is the Creep- all stcurtures excpet the Hatchery and Exctractor must be built on the Creep.  
The Creep Colonies extend the Creep. Hydralisk dens support the Hydralisk, the Spire allows Larvae to turn into the Mutalisks- flying beasts, and Queen's Next enable Larvae to mutate into the Queen, which can infest people, turning them insane." Miss Faragonda continued.

"After the Queen's Nest is formed, the Lair can now form into a Hive, allowing the drones to mutate into a building that supports one of the most destructive creatures in the history of all Realms: The Ultralisk... Sadly that is all I know about the Zerg, and we must not let them attack Alfea..."

Miss Faragonda clasp her hands together, trying to stay calm. "Do what you can to destroy the Zerg. I'm consulting the Elders..."

All the girls were very afraid now. What would become of them? What would the Zerg do to affect them now!

TO BE CONTINUED

((In case you are wondering, the ONLY thing I adopted from starcraft in this story is the names of some of the creatures. Everything else is completely original)  
The bell rang for the next period, and some of the Winx girls were seperated.  
Flora pondered about in the hall, searching for Tecna. She wanted to know her friend was okay before she went anywhere.

"Tecna!" Flora said, bumping into her in the hall. "You look so much better!" Flora smiled. "I feel better too." Tecna said, blushing. "That was... embarassing"  
"Its okay, Tecna. Remember what happened to Stella?" Tecna referred to when Stella got a stomach virus. "I guess you're right," Tecna said and laughed, then added, "so how did it go?"

Flora frowned. "Its really bad, Tecna... its the Zerg, and they have to be stopped"  
Tecna scratched her head. " The 'Zerg'? Never heard of them..." She pondered, then her eyes widened. "On second thought, yes I have heard of them..." Tecna faced Flora.  
"The Zerg. The Overloard- he was a Zerg, but a different breed. Though there is a Zerg race called Overlord, the Overloard is a different story. The added A, as I found out yesterday, stands for "alpha", and the R stands for "revenge", and the D stands for "death." What the other letters mean, I don't know, but what I do know is that when he died, he found another way to get the revenge stated in his name..."

Tecna shivered. "Alpha means Beginning, right? So that means that when we killed him,  
it was only the beginning of our fears..." She looked out the window. "Revenge. And Death.  
I hope that the Death means to him and not to us..."

Tecna folded her arms across her chest, trying to stay calm. Flora was almost frantic. "What do we do!" Tecna took a deep breath. "After class, we'll call the boys,  
and someone else..." Tecna's eyes were filled with memory. "Brutesbane..." She said and closed her eyes. "Please still be alive."

TO BE CONTINUED  
Flora gave Tecna a funny look, then said, "Who's Brutesbane?" Tecna opened her eyes and said, "Brutesbane? He's a long story... I'll tell you when we find the others."

Flora dropped the subject and followed Tecna down the hall. "They should be in their classes, but lunch is about to start so we'll find them in the cafeteria." Tecna said, stopping to look at her watch.  
Flora nodded, and continued to follow Tecna down the hall.

They stopped at the cafeteria door, checking over the sign. "We'll be a few minutes early, so it'll be easier to find them when they get here." Tecna said, walking inside. To her suprise, the girls were already in the room. "Hey, Tec! How are you doin'? Musa asked, quickly running inside. "Better," Tecna replied with a smirk, then her expression changed. "You know about the Zerg, right?"

They talked about the Zerg during lunch- and discussed everything they knew about it. "...and now that that's over with," Flora said, "Tecna needs to tell us about this Brutesbane person." Tecna nodded, and began.

"Yes, Brutesbane is a mysterious person. He's done much for Red Fountain- and the realm. He was a Freshman age who was in a Sophomore group- the group with Prince Sky and Brandon- and his talents were... different... then the other boys of Red Fountain. He was powerful, and the Elders decided to send him off into the Wilderness and Underrealms to become a guardian of nature." Tecna paused, then added in a voice that was almost pained,  
"He was blind."

Everyone gasped at her last three words- he was blind, and the Elders sent him into the Underrealms and the Wilderness!  
"That sounds like a dumb choice!" Musa said. "I think it was, too, but his mind was different- every soundwave guided his thoughts, and every movement made was dated- he could see just as well as you and I, except without images. If I can get ahold of him, he could definatly help us with the Zerg..."

As the day finally drifted on, the girls were out of their classes for the day. "Now let's see if I can get ahold of Brutesbane," Tecna said, taking her pager off her vest. It made a peculiar beep, and a mysterious figure took view on a hologram in front of the pager.

He was tall, and scruffy with battle, he had wiry hair, which was greasy. Shiny sunglasses rested on his face, and a sword was slung over his back. "Brutesbane!" Tecna said with a smile. "Tecna? I could notice your voice anywhere. What's up?" His voice was deep and clear, like a warrior. Tecna frowned. "You tell me, Brutesbane." She said, emphasis on the 'you'.

"So you found them too?" He replied. "They came here riding in their carrier creatures- they also flew here through space with the Mutalisks. I heard them form on the ground- they are building a colony. The Zerg are spreading wildly." There was a grave remark in his voice. "Can you help us, Brutesbane?" Asked Tecna.

"Sure, can you get ahold of the other boys? I haven't seen them in months." He said, smiling. "Of course. Meet us in the yard of Alfea tomorrow." Tecna replied. "Goodbye." She turned off the pager and breathed deeply- tomorrow they were going to the heart of the Zerg base- stealtily. They were going to figure out what the Zerg were doing here.

"So, what exactly did you call us for?" Asked Brandon as he jumped out of the squad ship. "We have some problems with a creature called 'Zerg'," Tecna explained as she watched the other boys jump out of the ship, last came Timmy,  
because he was buzy levitating the ship.

"That's bad news," Sky said, frowining. "The Zerg, huh? Hard to believe, but you're a trustworthy sorce"  
Tecna shrugged, then said, "but Brutesbane will be here." The boys were speechless, then Riven said, "Brutesbane"  
Tecna nodded, then heard something in the nearby forest. "Someone say my name?" Brutesbane trudjed towards the group.  
"Everyone's here. Good," He said. "I sence the presence of... nine others. And a rabbit." Bloom blushed, petting Kiko.  
"How did you know that? You're blind." Stella said. "Its a long story, but lets just say the sound waves guide me"  
Brutesbane replied, not bothered by Stella's slightly rude comment. "Anyway, I know where the Zerg base is, but in order to find out what they're doing here, we have to get the Psi-Emitter from one of their hatcheries." The group was silent for a moment. "Its dangerous," Timmy said. "Are you sure we have to go that deep into their base?"

"The Zerg are not as powerful as they may look. In fact, they can be destroyed with almost any weapon, except psi energy. That feeds them." Brutesbane replied. "I know this because I interregated a stupid Drone who went too far from home."

"Good," Bloom said. "Let's go. I got permission from Faragonda. She's monitiring our progress with the crystal ball just in case." Musa seemed confused. "Why didn't she send anyone else over with us?" She asked. Bloom shrugged.  
"I guess she doesn't want to worry the others. Or maybe she's testing us."

"I doubt it's a test," Brandon said, drawing his green sword. "Let's go. Lead the way, Brutesbane"  
Brutesbane huffed. "Lead? I'm blind! Let Bloom do it, she'd be more accurate. But I DO know my way around here, you know"  
Bloom sighed, she was tired of leading all the time, but it was her job.

"When we noticed the Zerg, they were over a large hill in a clearing in the woods." Bloom said. "Their colony was small at that time, I don't know how much they've multiplied by now." She walked through the trees, avoiding the webs.  
"My cauculations state that-" Tecna began, but Riven accidently hit her with a branch that he pulled back to pass, because she was behind him.

"Whoops," Riven said, picking Tecna up off the ground. Tecna coughed, brushing the dirt off her vest, then said, "Well then... my cauculations state that the Zerg's base should be less then a mile from our current position, just beyond that cover of trees"  
Stella groaned. "I hate outdoors! That's where all evil things come from, like rotten animals!" The whole group, except Stella, paused in their steps, then Musa shouted, "like THAT!" Stella looked up, then screamed as a Hydralisk came into view. It was the same one that poisoned Tecna-  
it had a strange purple mark under its eyes, resembling a scar. It grumbled, then faced the group with red, glinting eyes.

"Look out, Musa!" Riven yelled, jumping on top of her, knocking her down just as a bolt of poison whizzed past- it was attacking.  
Musa huffed as she was knocked to the ground, the breath knocked out of her. "Sorry," Riven said. "You saved me, don't be sorry." Musa told him.  
"Its time for Winx!" Bloom yelled, and the girls went into Winx.

"Ninja daisy!" Flora cried, sending powerful flowers smashing into the Hydralisk. It staggered backwards, stunned. Bloom hit it with a dragonfire blast, scorching its left scythe. "Sonic blast!" Musa yelled, sending it slamming into a nearby tree.  
For a second, it didn't move. Then everyone gasped.

The thick armor plating on the Hydralisk began to dissolve, and its hideous head lost form. Strong tentecals that zigzagged thorugh its body were torn away by the uplifting of infestion. "That's an Alfea student!" Bloom screamed.  
A young fairy lay before them. She was the Hydralisk. "How did that happen!" Stella cried. "She was infested.  
By the Zerg." Brutesbane said, walking over to her. "She's still alive. Try to get her back to Alfea, Musa." He said, picking her up.  
"We'll wait here for you. Fly as fast as you can." Musa was bewildered as she took the fallen fairy, then did what Brutesbane told her to do. "I can't believe it!" Tecna said,  
breathtaken. "That fairy- her mind and body were infested! I never knew the Zerg could do something so horrible"  
Brutesbane sighed. "A few of my animal friends were infested before. I don't know what happened to them. But the Zerg can infest you in any way- they can turn you into any of their minions, or just keep you in your ordinary body form, but your mind still belongs to them. I think my friends were turned into Mutalisks, but..." He paused. "Nevermind."

Tecna was about to ask another question when she saw Musa coming back. "I took her to the nurse, then left before she could ask me anything." Musa said, panting for breath. As the group waited for her to catch her breath, they thought about the Zerg amongst themselves.

When the group was ready, they continued, still bewildered. Soon, the hill came into view. "Be ready," Timmy said,  
gripping his gun. "Anything can happen." They stood on the top of the hill, and the Zerg Colony came into full view.  
TO BE CONTINUED

The Zerg had noticed them. One of the Drones lifted its head, then screeched. "Now!" Bloom cried, sending a blast of fire down at an oncoming Hydralisk. This one didn't have purple marks under its eyes- a sign that it wasn't infested.  
"Digital Web!" Tecna yelled, ensnaring five Zerglings in a web that held them down. "Sun burst!" Stella said, blasting the Zerglings that were held in Tecna's web. Meanwhile, Brutesbane was fighting confidently-  
he knew exactly when to duck, when to strike, and when to jump. Timmy had blasted Hydralisks with his guns.

As Tecna was watching Timmy with a smile, a shadow loomed over her. "LOOK OUT!" Flora cried, staring at the creature that was behind Tecna. Tecna yelped and rolled aside, slipping down the hill. The creature was huge-  
it was a breed that they hadn't seen yet. "ULTRALISK!" Brutesbane roared, fear in his eyes. "They ALREADY can spawn ULTRALISKS!" The ultralisk looked like a cross between a horned toad and an elephant- its tusks were armed with spikey plates, and spikes covered its hideous body. It had four beady eyes. It moaned and jumped up, when it landed, the crash shook the ground, sending the group down either side of the hill. "Aaahg!" Stella cried, falling into the clutches of a Hydralisk. "NO!" Brandon roared, slashing it with his sword. The creature stepped backwards, and it groaned as he cut off its scythes.  
Meanwhile, Brutesbane climbed on top of the Ultralisk and tried his best to slash it. "Flora! Use your pteredactyl vine and smash its underside!" Brutesbane yelled over the Ultralisk's bucking. "Okay!" Flora said,  
slapping it from under. "Bloom! While the swarm is on us, you, Tecna, and Riven get into the base!" Ordered Brutesbane as he tried to cut the Ultralisk's neck. Bloom, Tecna, and Riven unquestionably ran down the hill,  
towards the base.

"The ground here is alive!" Riven said, walking across the creep of the Zerg. "Its nasty!" He said in disgust.  
"Look out!" Bloom said, blasting an air unit as it fell out of the sky. "The hatchery..." Tecna said, pointing.  
Eggs were surrounding the Hatchery, and a misty form of what was inside could be seen through the egg membrane.  
Hydralisk and Ultralisk shapes were in the eggs. "Let's kill the eggs." Suggested Bloom. Riven nodded, then they went to work, destroying the eggs before they hatched. Some nearby drones went frantic, and excaped.

"The whole swarm must be after our friends," Tecna said worriedly. "That leaves us enough time to find the mastermind of this group." Bloom said, trying to find the entrance of the Hatchery.

The whole building was alive- it was a mutated form of a should-be Drone. "Eww..." Bloom said,  
finding the entrance through the "mouth" of the structure. "Watch out..." Riven said, looking around.  
Tecna had a disgusted look on her face as they walked through the internal organs of the building.

"We shouldn't be far, we'll find the Psi-emitters in the next room." Riven and Bloom were so concentrated on finding the Psi-Emitters that they didn't notice Tecna falling behind. Something came up behind her and grabbed her mouth so she couldn't scream. Her voice was a muffled yelp as she tried to scramble away from the Zergling that captured her. It carried her down a different corridor in the Hatchery- to the infestion chambers.  
TO BE CONTINUED

"This is it," Riven said, knocking down part of the wall. A strange crystalish substance floated in the room,  
glowing. Under it stood a massive creature with ten glowing eyes. Bloom was petrified in fear, but Riven stood confident. "You! Keeper of the Psi-Emitter! Show us what you're doing here"  
The creature's eyes glowed bright as it said, "I tell no one the truth... I am the Zerg Overmind- or what is left of me. Do not pester me, foolish humans! Though I am defenceless myself, I can call the whole swarm to kill you"  
Riven snorted. "You don't scare me! Tell me what you're doing, or I'll slit you're throat!"

The creature slithered forward. "I don't give any incompitant humans answers, unless if you give ME answers.  
Or will I have to force them out of your little friend..." Its ten eyes merged into one large eye,  
then the pupil rolled back, then a hologram image appeared in the white eye, showing Tecna in the hands of the Zerglings. She scrambled, sweat falling off of her brow quickly, as they strapped her to the wall.  
"NO!" Bloom cried, lunging for the door. "Look for her, but don't expect to find her!" The Zerg Overmind laughed as the Hatchery iteself changed form.

"Oh, great! I don't know where I am!" Riven yelled. "We're lost in a living hadees!" He punched the slimy wall, then began running through the chambers. "We have to find Tecna!" 

Tecna was drained of her energy. They tried every possible way of interrogation, but none of it worked. She would never tell them Alfea's secrets. "Then prepare to have your mind belong to the Overmind. He has everyone's mind, so we'll get answers one way or another." A drone hissed. Tecna groaned in pain and agony as the wall of the Hatchery closed in over her, trapping her inbetween two walls. Tecna tried to focus, but her mind was going haywire-  
she felt someone else's presence in her very mind, and then silence- The Wall was taking her. 


	2. The Wall

CHAPTER 2: THE WALL

"Tecna? TECNA!" Bloom yelled, running through the hatchery. "We're trapped in a maze, Riven! I don't know where we are"  
There was a sharp sound down a corridor, then Riven paused. "Get down!" He said, slinging his arm around Bloom, pushing her to the floor.  
"Hello?" The voice echoed through the Hatchery. "We've excaped from the Swarm- Brutesbane is leading them into the forest- he's live bait"  
The voice belonged to Flora. "Hello?" Stella yelled. "Guys!" Bloom said happily, jumping up. "We've been looking for you," Sky said.  
"Where's Tecna? Did you get the Psi-emitter?"

Bloom's expression changed. "We don't know what happened to Tecna! And we found a new enemy who's keeping the Psi-Emitter! Its called the 'Overmind!' I think he's one of the Overloard's minions!" Timmy's expression went grave. "Where's TECNA?" He yelled. "I don't BELIEVE you let her get captured!" He ran past Bloom, searching high and low. "Tecna"  
He ran far ahead of the group, looking around wildly. "Timmy, wait!" Riven yelled, running after him. Riven grabbed his arm. "Timmy, you"  
He was cut off by a loud groaning noise as the Hatchery shifted shape again. Everyone screamed as a wall formed inbetween the group and Riven.  
Riven and Timmy were trapped together. "Guys!" Riven banged on the wall membrane. "Riven! We can't cut through the wall!" Yelled Prince Sky's muffled voice from the other side. "Find Tecna! We'll try and bust down the wall!"

Riven took Timmy's arm as he ran down the corridors. "I think she's this way," Timmy said. "How do YOU know?" Riven grumbled.  
"I just think she is, come on!" Timmy guestured down the hall. "She shouldn't be far. Let's go." He ran down the corridor, then paused.  
He found himself in a room with large weapons made by the Zerg. Some of them had fresh blood on the edjes of the pointed spears. "Tecna?" Timmy shouted, wondering if she was anywhere where she could hear him.  
Riven picked up a nearby axe, turning it over in his hand. "Timmy, do you see this blood?" Timmy nodded. "Yes." He touched it with his finger.  
"DNA sample it," Riven said, then Timmy took something out of his pocket. He dropped the blood sample on a holopad, and the DNA was scanned.  
"Its Tecna's blood. She shouldn't be far," Timmy said, looking around fearfully.

Riven banged his hand on the wall in anger, then froze. He banged it again, wide-eyed. "What are you doing, Riven?" Timmy yelled.  
"Feel the wall, Timmy..." Riven said, frightened. "There's someone behind it." Timmy scoffed, then took the axe. Slowly, he felt the wall with his hand. "Its a body of someone- behind the wall. I'll cut around it..." He was hopeful as he sliced through the wall.  
The hatchery moaned in pain as he cut it, and blood spurted out.

Through the Hatchery's blood, he could make out vauge colors of purple and green behind the wall as he cut. "Tecna!" Timmy cried, taking her out of the wall. Timmy was frantic as he checked her over. "Tecna, oh Tecna!" He said, frowning. "Tecna, speak to me"  
He took off his cape and wiped the blood off of her. "She's alive," Riven said. "You can see her breathing."

Timmy nodded, still frantic. He was so occupied in picking her up and running back down the corridor that he didn't notice strange purple marks under Tecna's eyes.  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	3. Revenge

Timmy ran through the chasms, shivering as the walls shifted in every direction. "I control... the way you move..." A voice rumbled. "I control you... you cannot excape." Timmy scoffed as he knew this voice as the Overmind's. "You may not be as powerfull as the Overloard," Timmy grolwed, "but you sure are putting up a fight!" Timmy stepped into the next chasm, oblivious of what it contained. Riven ran up to him, then knocked him down before the Wall began to close in on him. "That could've choked you," Riven said, picking him up as the Wall was forced to resume shape. "We must be getting close, the buiding is trying its best to keep us out."

"No, the Overmind is." Timmy replied. "He controls the Zerg- that's how the Eggs formed so quickly. He sees everything out of the eyes of the Zerg..." Timmy ducked as the Wall attempted to attack him again. "This crazy building is going to eat us alive if we don't get out," Riven said, jumping over a few strange tentecles. The Hatchery groaned as it tried to shapeshift again. "Quick! Let's get out of here!" Riven yelled, running as fast as he could. "I see the exit! And the others are waiting!" He yelled. The wall was closing fast- they would either excape or be crushed.

Riven and Timmy ran as fast as they could, and Riven made it out first. He grabbed Tecna out of Timmy's hands, then helped him through the exit just as the Wall closed on Timmy's foot. "Its got me!" Timmy yelled, trying to pry his foot out of the Wall. It took his shoe off as he scrambled away, breathing hard. "You guys okay? What happened?" Brandon said, helping them up. The group had tried to kill the Hatchery to save Timmy and Riven- it was bleeding in so many places on the outside, but to Riven and Timmy, the inside was unscathed.

"What happened to Tecna!" Yelled Bloom, kneeling down next to her. "She's alive, but something seem's wrong with her." Timmy frowned, then picked her up. "We have to get her to Alfea. I don't know what happened to her, but it isn't fatal. She's breathing fine, and her skin isn't torn." He still hadn't noticed the purple marks- right now they were very faint. "We'll just let her rest in her room. She'll recover." The group didn't question Timmy- he was the brains of the operation.

They scrambled away from the Zerg Base quickly, not wanting to rouse the attention of the other troops that had spawned. "I wonder if Brutesbane is okay," Stella said worriedly. "It was a great task to drive them away." She looked around, then screamed with alarm as Brutesbane appeared out of the forest in front of the group, tattered, but breathing. "Brutesbane! Are you okay?" Asked Musa. "I'm fine, I was able to trap some of the group in the ravine and leave them to the animals- unicorns and dragons. They'll take care of them." Brutesbane replied. "Good job, good to see you're okay." Said Prince Sky.

"I'm going to Red Fountain with you guys to recooperate," Brutesbane said, blushing. "I can't here, I'm way to tired." Brandon shrugged. "That'd be fine. Timmy's going to drive back to Red Fountain when we reach Alfea."

The group walked quickly, trying their best to get away from the Zerg base in time. When they reached Alfea, they felt extremly tired and weak, and to make matters worse, they did not get the Psi-energy. "What are we going to tell Faragonda?" Said Flora. "We didn't get what we set out to do... and Tecna got hurt!"

Timmy frowned, looking down on Tecna, not sure if she was doing as well as he thought she was. "Don't worry, Flora. We'll figure out something. Right now, you all need to rest. You've had a tiring day." He looked at Bloom, then at the space ship that was parked some ways away from the Alfea courtyard. "Here, Bloom. Think you can carry Tecna?" Bloom paused, then nodded, taking the wieght from Timmy. Tecna wieghed at least 100 pounds, and was an awkward load.

"See ya, guys." Said Musa, waving goodbye, especially to Riven. She waited for the ship to depart before heading into Alfea. They were able to make it all the way to their dorm without drawing anny attention to themselves. They would tell Miss Faragonda about this after they rested, and they would also have to explain to their teachers why they were absent.

In the dorm, Bloom laid Tecna carefully on her bed, watching Musa collapse on her own. "I'm going strait to sleep," she said, "I'm really sore after fighting those animals..." Bloom nodded. "I understand," she stood up. "Does anyone want any herbal tea? It'll make you feel better." Flora said, walking into the room. "Sure," said Stella, taking a cup. Flora had brought four cups, and everyone took one (except Tecna).

After a quick chat, the girls headed back to their dorms, falling asleep immediatly. 

Musa was awoken suddenly by a strange sound in her room. "Who's there!" She gasped, shooting up from her bed. The sound resounded again, reminding her of the Zerg. She looked around. No one was here, except her and Tecna. She froze. "Tecna...?" She did not want to turn her head to see her roommate, but slowly, she looked over at her. Tecna was lying down, but she was the one who was growling.

Musa walked over to Tecna, her heart beating fast. "Tecna?" She approached her roommate slowly, as if she was a coiled snake ready to strike. Musa gasped at what she had saw- a strange purple formation was under Tecna's eyes, and it was very clear to view by now. Images flashed through Musa's mind- the infested Hydralisk- the girl she had taken to the nurse- when she was a Hydralisk, the same mark was under her eyes. Musa gasped- Timmy was wrong, Tecna was not fine. She was infested.

"Tecna!" Musa cried, stepping backwards. Tecna's eyelids slid open, revealing a red iris- definatly not green. Tecna growled, this time baring rows of sharp, pointed teeth. When she stood up, two horns slid out of her forehead. A strange, dragonwing like membrane ripped through the back of her shirt, strange wings on her back. Her arms and legs were spiny with spikes. She took a step towards Musa, raising her claws. "TECNA!" Musa screamed, rousing the attention of the others. "What's going on?" Stella shouted from outside. They stormed into Musa's room, then everyone gasped at Tecna.

Tecna roared in a monstrous voice, raising her hand towards Flora. "Look out!" Bloom yelled, but too late. A spike drove into Flora's side, shooting out of Tecna's palm. Flora yelped with pain, dropping to the ground. "NO!" Musa yelled. She did not want to hurt Tecna- she believed that somewhere, Tecna was still there.  
"Remember how we stopped the infestion on the Hydralisk?" Said Bloom, who had just pryed the spike out of Flora. Flora was still unconscious. Musa nodded, afraid. Tecna was about to strike again. "A sonic blast did it last time..." Musa said. "But I don't want to hurt her..." Tecna growled, raising her palm towards Musa. She had no choice now. Musa gathered her Winx, and sent a blow towards her best friend, knocking her into her computer. For a moment, Tecna lay motionless, then opened her eyes again, they were still red, and the purple mark remained. Musa hit her again, this time the impact was so strong, Tecna was knocked strait into her computer desk, snapping it in two. Musa gasped, placing her hand over her mouth. Sweat dripped down her forehead. Did she kill Tecna? The group, ran over to Tecna, checking her closely. This time, the marks were gone. The wings disappeared, and the horns sank back into her forehead, but Tecna remained unconscious. Bloom lifted her up, and gathered up what was left of Tecna's desk. Luckily, her computer wasn't damaged, or any of the disks.

"Do you think I should call the boys?" Asked Stella. "Yeah, you better do so." Said Bloom. "I'll get Flora and Tecna to Nurse Ophelia. She'll know what to do." Bloom said, then frowned. Tecna was injured gravely by none other then Musa's power. Musa was saddened greatly- she had hurt one of her best friends. Infestion was much more then she thought it was.

Infestion was the Revenge.

Stella had free time in one of her classes that day, whilst everyone else was attending to their studies. She walked through the hall quickly, wanting to get to the nurse and check on her friends. She knocked on the door with a loud bang. "Goodness! Come in!" Nurse Ophelia said, opening the door before Stella knocked it off its hinges. "Oops. Sorry," Stella said, entering. "I came to check on my friends, Flora and Tecna. You know them, right?"

"How could I forget your lovely pink-haired friend." The nurse said with a slight smile. "Flora... she's the brown-haired one, right? I haven't had her here in a while." Stella nodded. "How are they?" She asked, anxious. "Flora is doing fine, but she will have to wear a chest cast for a few weeks until that horrid injury heals. As for Tecna," the nurse said, then hesitated. "her fever has been going up and down like a roller coaster, but right now its quite stable at 102. But she's broken her back- a great deal. Tell me, how did this happen to them?"

Stella paused. Should she tell the nurse what happened? "Well," Stella said, not knowing where to start. She remembered the infested Hydralisk she had destroyed a while back. "Remember that injured one Musa brought in not long ago?" The nurse listened quietly as Stella explained how that happened, then closed her eyes. "... and now I'm afraid Tecna won't be the same ever again"  
The nurse frowned, feeling deeply sorry. If the Zerg were spreading, she needed to warn Miss Faragonda. "You can go see Tecna while I tell Miss Faragonda about this," said the nurse, patting Stella's shoulder. Stella nodded, swallowing hard. She didn't want to see Tecna, but she did, and was shocked at how little she had changed on the outside- she was thankful Tecna didn't have any signs of the Zerg on her, but she was pale and shaky. "Tecna?" Stella said, approaching her.

"Stella!" Flora said from the other side of the room. "Oh, hey!" Stella said, thankful one of her friends was okay. "You got out of class to see us? You're so nice!" Flora said with a smile, trying not to sit up and hurt herself. "Yeah... has Tecna woken up?" Asked Stella, walking over to her other friend. "Yes, but only twice. And she didn't do anything but sit there. I don't even think she knew I was here," Flora replied. "I think she's in a state of shock, but when she wakes up again, I think she'll figure out what happened."

Stella nodded. "I hope so... so how are ya? Are you mad at Tecna for doing that to you?" Flora shrugged. "It hurts, but I'm not mad at Tecna. She didn't know what she was doing, if I did the same thing to Tecna if I was infested, and she didn't forgive me, then she wouldn't be a friend." Stella thought for a moment, glad that Flora didn't hold anything against Tecna.

Stella looked over at Tecna, then paused. Tecna was awake now, and she seemed very sad. "Tec! You're awake! Why didn't you say something?" Asked Stella, walking over to her. Tecna didn't reply, she just stared off into space. "Tecna?" Stella waved her hand in front of Tecna's face. Her eyes followed it, but still, she didn't say anything. "Can you talk? If you can hear me, blink." Tecna blinked, but didn't talk. "If you can say something, say something!" Stella yelled. "I find that... hard..." Tecna said, in a choked voice, then coughed harshly. "You had to make me talk..." Tecna swallowed, a foul taste in her mouth. She had never felt so horrible in her life.

"Sorry," Stella said. "So... are you okay?" Tecna shook her head. "I feel horrible... emotionally and..." she coughed, then said, "phisically..." She looked over at Flora with greyish-green eyes. "I hurt my friends... I can't believe I did so..." Flora smiled. "Its okay, Tecna. These things happen. Besides, I think you'll be better by tomorrow."

Tecna nodded. "Hopefully..." But in her heart, she knew things wouldn't get better. The Zerg were spreading like rust- leave a bike out in the rain, and it doesn't get better.

It gets worse. 


End file.
